1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electromagnetic components and, more particularly, to a surface-mounting electromagnetic component with a coil portion that may be constructed using plating, laminating and/or pressing manufacturing techniques.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As known in the art, electromagnetic components such as inductors or choke coils have typically been constructed by winding conductors about a cylindrical core. For example, insulated copper wires may be wrapped around the outer surface of the core. Structures of such electromagnetic components are usually designed to meet the surface mounting technology (SMT) or surface mounting device (SMD).
The rapid advance toward electronic components having smaller size and higher performance in recent years is accompanied by strong demand for coil elements having smaller size and higher performance in terms of saturation current (Isat) and DC resistance (DCR). However, the size of the prior art coil element is difficult to shrink further.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved electromagnetic component having better performance such as larger saturation current, reduced DC resistance and better efficiency, while the size of the electromagnetic component can be miniaturized.